2014 Moose Mountain Marathon Runner Welcome

We are under one week away from one of the toughest and most scenic Marathons in the country! We are very excited to be hosting another extraordinary field of runners at this years Superior “Fall” Trail Race – represented are runners from 36 states and 5 countries! We have recruited around 180 volunteers to make this a truly world-class event and help you in achieving your goal of completing one of the most challenging and beautiful trail races anywhere in the world!

Please take the time to read through this email and all of the information on the website in its entirety and print any information, maps, directions etc. that you or your crew may need as cell and Internet service is intermittent on the North Shore and you will most likely not be able to access the website on your phone, tablet etc unless you are at a location with WiFi. We will NOT have these printouts for you at the race.

This is your race and your responsibility to know this stuff – if after reading this email and reviewing everything on the website should you still have questions please contact us.

Shuttle to Start:
The shuttle from Caribou Highlands to the race start at Cramer Road will depart at 6:45AM sharp – plan to be on the bus by 6:30, if you miss the bus you will have to find your own ride to the start! Don’t be late!

Check-In & Re-Check-In:
Even if you have checked in the night before the race at packet-pickup you must “recheck-in” on race morning – to make it easy, we will take down your bib# number as you exit the shuttle bus at the race start – if you are not taking the bus you must check-in or re-check-in at the tables in the morning.

Drop Bags:
Reminder, we do not accept drop bags on race morning, drop bags must be left during packet pickup on Friday night at Caribou Highlands – if you plan on going directly to the race start in the morning and skipping Friday Packet Pickup but would like to have a drop bag, you will need to find a fellow racer, friend or crew person to deliver it to Caribou Highlands for you / to Packet Pickup on Friday Night. All drop bags must be marked with distance, drop bag location, runners name & runners bib number – drop bags without this information will not be delivered. Drop bags will be delivered to the finish line on Saturday at 8:00PM.

Changes in Crew / Spectator Access:
New in 2014 there will be no crew or spectator access for Marathon runners allowed at the Temperance River Aid Station on Temperance River Road – crews or spectators for Marathon runners found at these aid stations will see their runners disqualified.

Highway 61 Road Work and Detour:
All runners, crews and spectators traveling to the race should be aware that there is a detour on Highway 61 both Northbound and Southbound – Highway 61 is closed between MN State Highway 1 and Cook County Road 6 – this detour routes you up Highway 1 through Finland and back down County 6 to Highway 61. This detour had originally been scheduled to end the week prior to the race but per our recent conversations with MNDOT have learned that the detour will be in efect until Saturday (race day) and may start coming down during the middle of the day sometime. This detour will add time to your drive, be prepared.

Bees, Hornets and or Wasps!
The bees / ground hornets and / or wasps are always bad this time of year on the Superior Hiking Trail, if you are allergic you need to be carrying your medication, ointment, EPI-Pen or whatever it is that has been prescribed to you, there are sections of trail that are 10 miles without aid (so you could be 5 miles / well over 1 hour from help) and if you get stung and have a reaction you need to be able to self medicate. * Do not consider starting this race if you have known allergies to bees, hornets or wasps if you do not have, are unable or unwilling to carry your potentially life-saving medicine.

Share this with Your Crews and Spectators:
It is unlikely that anything a runner does will ever put the race in jeopardy, more likely is a runners crew or spectators doing something that could negatively impact the race. Be sure that your crew has adequate maps and information to navigate the roads and understands the rules of crewing and the fundamentals of the race. Your crew should be traveling the speed limit on highway 61 and needs to drive very slowly / cautiously on the back roads since the Superior Hiking Trail / race course crosses these back roads many times. Crews should not stop in the middle of the road or park in the road in front of an aid station to unload, they must park where they are prompted (only on one side of the road if the option for parking is in fact on the road and not a parking lot) and walk with supplies etc. to the aid station. Crews or spectators choosing not to follow the rules will see their runners disqualified without hesitation. Again, we will not have print materials such as driving directions for you or your crews at the race, you will need to print these items for your crews or have them print them on their own – it is your job to educate and mange your crews and spectators prior to the race.

Cool Stuff For Sale:
As in years past we will have some cool shirts, hats, buffs, posters and stickers for sale at the pre-race meeting. Cash or check only.

SHTA – Superior Hiking Trail Association:
The Superior Hiking Trail is one of the premier long distance hiking trails in the country, without it, there would be no race. The Superior Hiking Trail Association builds, maintains, and manages the trail with the help of hundreds of volunteers. Please help by joining, donating or volunteering. If you use this trail in training or as a part of this race you should become a member for at least one year – its the right thing to do. You can become a member of the Superior Hiking Trail Association HERE http://www.shta.org/

Enjoy your taper, travel safe and we will see you at Packet Pickup and on race day.

Terrain:The Superior Fall Trail Races 100MI, 50MI & 26.2MI are run on rugged, rooty, rocky, 95% single-track trail with near constant climbs and descents. The race is held on the Superior Hiking Trail in the Sawtooth Mountains paralleling Lake Superior in Northern Minnesota / not far from the Canadian border. The race located approximately 4 hours North of Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Superior Fall Trail Races are very difficult / challenging races and are probably not a good choice for your first trail or ultra race (see Registration Info for qualifying requirements).

More About the Race:
The Superior Trail 100 was founded in 1991 when there was no more than a dozen or so 100 mile trail races in the USA, back then if you wanted to run a 100, you had choices like Western States, Hardrock, Leadville, Wasatch, Cascade Crest, Umstead, Massanutten and Superior . Superior quickly earned it’s reputation of its namesake today – Rugged, Relentless and Remote and is known as one of the tougher 100 mile trail races. Superior lives on now as one of the “legacy 100 milers” and is considered by many to be one of the most challenging, prestigious and beautiful 100 mile trail races in the country. Shortly after the inception of the 100, the Superior 50 was started and in the early 2000’s the Moose Mountain Marathon was added. None of the history or tradition of this race has been lost and is a great event for those looking for a world-class event with a low-key, old-school 100 miler feel. The Superior Trail Race is put on by ultrarunners for ultrarunners.

More About the Area:
The North Shore of Lake Superior runs from Duluth, Minnesota at the Southwestern end of the lake, to Thunder Bay and Nipigon, Ontario, Canada, in the North to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in the east. The shore is characterized by alternating rocky cliffs and cobblestone beaches, with rolling hills and ridges covered in boreal forest inland from the lake, through which scenic rivers and waterfalls descend as they flow to Lake Superior. The shoreline between the city of Duluth to the international border at Grand Portage as the North Shore. Lake Superior is considered the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. It is the world’s third-largest freshwater lake by volume and the largest by volume in North America. The Superior Hiking Trail, also known as the SHT, is a 310-mile long distance hiking single-track hiking trail in Northeastern Minnesota that follows the ridgeline overlooking Lake Superior for most of its length. The trail travels through forests of birch, aspen, pine, fir, and cedar. Hikers and runners enjoy views of boreal forests, the Sawtooth Mountains, babbling brooks, rushing waterfalls, and abundant wildlife. The lowest point on the trail is 602 feet above sea level and the highest point is 1,829 feet above sea level.